Clamping device



July 12, 1932. w, c, JACKSON 1,867,156

7 CLAMPING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1952 INVENTOR ML 75/? '6'. dACKSOIV BY :7

4 '4 ATTORNEY lit Patented July 12, 1932 entree STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER (3. JACKSON, 01 RAHWAY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNGR TO TING-LES? RELIANCE RUBBER CQRPORATION, OF RAHWAY, NEW JERBEY, A CORPORA'1ION- OF NEW JERSEY oneiarrn e DEVJECE application filed March 23, 18358. crlal Kc. 860,623.

This invention relates to clamps adapted to be. used in attaching various articles or devices to thin bodies, particularly bodies of sheet material such, for instance, as the wheel fenders of automobiles.

'One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for reinforcing the rubber bead. engaging lip of clamps such as those used for securing various devices to the edges of automobile fenders.

The principal purpose of my invention is to provide a strong, durable and eflicient reinforcement for the rubber engaging portions of vulcanized rubber clamps.

And other objects of the invention will be presented in the detailed description of the drawing.

In the drawing accompanying the specification one racticable embodiment of my invention is illustrated which, at the present time, I regard as the preferred form, in which drawing: I v

Figure 1 shows in perspective the rigid or reinforcin element of the clamp.

Fig. 2 s ows in perspective the rigid lip stiffening or reinforcing element, and

Fig. 3 is a plete clamp.

The clamp, in its preferred form is composed of fairly soft vulcanized rubber. As the clamp is employed for securing some depending device to some structure, as for instance a splash ard apron to the endof an automobile fen er, it is preferably molded and vulcanized integrally withtheupper end of the apron 5, Fig. 3. In this instance one of the jaws as 6 is produced by the thickened upper part of the apron and is shown formed with a fender'engaging face 7 sloping downwardly and outwardly from the upper end. When reference is made to outwardly and inwardly it will be assumed that the face 8 of the apron will be directed inwardly of the fender to which the clamp is attached, and that the opposite side will be directed outwardly and exposed more particularly to view than is the so-called inner face 8. The other of the jaws 9 extends upwardly and has a face 10 disposed opposite-to the face 7 for most of the extent of the latter longitudinal section of the corntion and widen out into a recess 11 which is ada ted to receive the bead usually formed on t e extreme lower edgeof an automobile fender, when the clamp is forced up onto this. The fender engaging face 7 of the jaw 6 .terminates in its lower end in a lip 12, this lip being given a rather sharp formation by the upward curve as at 13' of the wall of the cavity 11. The lip 12, just described, is for the purpose of engaging the crease or corner formed at the upper side of the bead on the fender and, in cooperation with the other parts of the device, for holding the clamp against dislodgement after it has once been properly applied to the fender.

While it is quite a simple matter for the rubber manufacturer to make clamps of this general description entirely of rubber and havin the capability of holding their position w ien applied,'yet it is a well-known fact that rubber, when it is subjected to continuous tension, becomes tired. When this henom enon occurs in a clamp of this c aracter the clamp will release its hold andfall ofi taking with it whatever device it may have supported. It has further been discovered that by reinforcing the rubber its ability to serve as the jaws of a clamp is augmented and the normal life of the extended.

In accordance with my invention I propose to embed within the body of the jaw 6 a reinforcing or stiffening device 14 which is free rubber is vastly of all support save that ofthe rubber which completely surrounds and envelops it. This body may be formed of some suitable metal,

preferably hard, or it may be formed of hard rubber previously vulcanized and incorporated in the mass of rubber forming the jaw 6. Or it may be molded of some rubber compositionand in its green state, or possibly partly cured, embedded in the mass of rubber forming such jawand upon the application of a heat and pressure proper to vulcanize the general mass of rubber it will bealso vulcanized integrally with the rest of the rubber, but havingmuch more rigidity is located close u ably sufliciently Y ar away from the walls or faces? and 13 that it is completely covered with rubber so that neither in the applica- 1 tion of the clamp to the fender or to continued ting the the rear occupancy of a position therein the material of this element 14 will not come in contact with the automobile fender, but the surface of such fender will be safeguarded against being scratched or marred. This body 14 is .illustrated in the form of a wedge haying a sharp edge which is directed downwardly and into thebead engaging lip.

In the preferred formation of this reinforcing body 14 and its location its upper face 16 slants inwardly or backwardly a-little more than does the face of the jaw 7 and the lower face 15 is preferably at a greater angle to the face 7, butpreferably at an acute angle. In many locations it is also desirable to have face 18 of :the body 14 disposed in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the inner face 8 of the device as a whole.

The mass of soft rubber comprisingthe clamp affords the spring action for permitparts to yield upon the application of the clamp to the fender and ermits the bod 14 to yield away from the ead of the fen or as it transverses the slot 19 between the jaw faces 7 and 10, and also permits the parts to assume substantially their normal position upon the bead enterin the recess 11. After the bead has passed be ow the lip 12 and the lower end 17 of the body 14 this lip moves outwardl the bead and t e body 14 moves with the rubber and stifiens the structure, particularly the lip 12, so that it will not readily yield and release the hold upon the fender and upon the-bead. As a matter of fact it is only with the greatest difficulty that the a fender after if desired, be so proportioned and located in relation to the other 31138 of the device that the clamp having en once properly applied cannot be removed without complete destruction of some portion of the device.

The reinforcing member 14 is somewhat in the nature of a latch. It might be described s a free latch because it is not directly connected with the other metal or rigid parts of the structure, resently to be described, nor is it articulated to these after the manner of most latches. It is also free in that it may be regarded as floating within amass of rubber forming the jaw 6. When such rubber is subjected to a compressive force which causes member and into the crease above the latch body 14 moves with it,

it to yield and flow away from its original i position very much as if the rubber were a liquid mass inwhich the body '14 is suspended.

For the purpose of sustaining and reinforcing the rubber comprising the jaws 6 and 9 I mount within them a practically rigid 'body 20 which has an upstandingmember 21 passing from the region well within the body 22 of the clamp up into the portion forming the jaw 6 and Well past the upper portion 16 of the reinforcing body 14.

The member 20 is bent upon itself as at 23 within the body 22 of the clamp and has an extension 24 ending at approximately the height of the member 21 and preferably well up toward the free end of the jaw 9. This 20 is preferably formed of rigid metal, or that is of metal sufliciently rigid, or the structure is sufl iciently rigid thatv it will yield but little when the bead of an automobile fender is forced down the slot 19.

The only yieldability permitted in this clamp is that of the rubber located within the reinforcing member 20; that is between the uprights 21 and 24 and the bend 23, except, of

course, that which takes place above the ends 25 and 26 and at the sides of the entire member. The rubber outwardly of the upright 24 and inwardly of the upright 21 serves two purposes, supporting the member 20, and the other for preventing such member injuring some parts of the auto to which the device is applied.

Although the operation of the clamp is doubtless quite obvious from the drawing and from the description which has preceded, yet it might not be amiss to state at this point that when the clamp is applied to the fender of an automobile the head at the lower edge of the fender will be entered one for encasing and between the soft portions 27 and 28 of the free ends of the jaws. The clamp will then be forced up on the fender end bringing the bead within the ends 25 and 26 of the reinforcing body 20 whereupon, owing to the practical'rigidity of this body, the furtheryieldability of the clamp is afforded by the compression. or distortion of the rubber located between the arms 21 and 24 of this body. If the clamp is still further forced .up on the end of the fender and the body ber 14 into the crease above the bead. For

most applications the distance apart of the faces 7 and 10 which form the slot 19 will be practically equal to-the thickness of the of the fender on which the device is intended to be ap lied so that there will be a slight frictional-or grippin action, the intensity of which gripping w1l, of course, be regu- 5 lated by thedistance apart of these faces.

In some instances it may be found desirable to employ a softer rubber within the.- rigid member 20 than that of which the rest of the clamp is constructed. In any event the rubber at the region indicated by the reference character 29 must be sufficiently soft to permit the desired freedom of movement of the latch member 14. It also may be found desirable to employthis softer rubber only at the region 29 behind the latch 14 and at the upper portions of the rubber forming the faces 7 and 10 and to form the lower portion of the body within the rigid member of a harded rubber. In Fig. 3 the crosssection lines which are lighter than those used throughout the figure are intended to represent a softer rubber.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j

1., A rubber body formed into a pair of jgws having opposingfaces presenting a slot tween them opening into an enlarged cavity, there being a li formed at the juncture of one of the aw aces and the wall of the enlarged cavity, and a trian ularly sha ed free body of harder material t an the rub er. body and disposed within the mass of rubber rearwardly of the said lip.

2. A rubber body formed into a pair of aws having opposing faces presenting a slot etween them opening into an enlar ed cavity, there being a li formed at the juncture of one of the aw acesand the wall of the I 40 enlarged cavity, and a free body of harder material than the rubber body and encased within the mass of rubber rearwardly of the jaw face terminating. in said lip, such body eing of triangular cross-section, the sides being disposed at an acute angle in relation to each other, and both at an acute angle to the lane of the said jaw faces, the apex being ocated rearwardly of such lip and directed downwardly.

'3. A clamp comprisin a mass of soft rubber having two extende jaws formed with opposing faces presenting a slot between them and also formed with an enlarged cavity in communication with such slot, there being a lip formed at the juncture of one of the jaw faces and the wall of the enlarged cavity, and awedge-sha ed body havin a shar edge located'within tii pleing directed downwardly and into the said 4. A rubber body formed into a pair" of jaws having opposing faces presenting a slot between them opening into an enlarged cavity, there being a lip formed at the juncture of one of the'jaw faces and the wall of e mass of rub er, sue edge the enlarged cavity, a free body of harder material than the rubber body and disposed within the mass of rubber rearwardlyv of the saidlip, and a rigid reinforcing member em-.

bedded in the mass of rubber comprising the body and'the jaws and'lopated in such position in relation to the major portions of the said 0 posing faces as to restrain- .the nor mal re ative outward movement of the entire mass of rubber constituting the jaws upon the passa e of some body along the slot and between t c said opposing faces.

5. A rubber body formed into apair of 'aws having opposing faces presenting a slot etween them opening into an enlarged cavity, therebeing a li formed at the juncture of oneof the aw aces and the wall of the enlarged cavity, and a free body of harder material than the rubber body and encased within the mass of rubber rearwardly of the 'aw face terminating insaid lip, such body eing of triangular cross-section, the sides being disposed at an acute angle in relation to each other, and both at an acute angle to the plane of the said jaw faces, the apex being located rearwardlyof such lip and di rected downwardly, and a rigid reinforcing member embedded in the mass of rubber come prising the body and the jaws and located 1n such position in relation to the major portions of the said opposing faces as to restrain the normal relative outward movement ing a lip formed at the uncture of-one of the jaw faces and the wall of the enlar ed cavity, a wedge-shaped body having a s arp edge located within the mass of rubber, such edge being directed downwardly and into the said lip, and a rigid reinforcing member embedded in the mass of rubber comprising the body and the jaws and located in such position in relation to the major portions of the said opposing faces as to restrain the normal relative outward movement of the entire mass of rubber constituting the jaws upon the passage of some body along the slot and between the said opposing faces, the wedge-shaped latchmember being free ina portion of the mass of rubber located within the rigid reinforcing member.

7. A clamp comprising a mass of soft rubber having two extending jaws formed with opposing engaging faces presenting a slot between them, and also formed with a cavity in communication with such slot, and a rigid body encased within such mass and having a pair of upstanding memberspassing from the region well within the body of the clamp up into the portion forming the jaws, such member being. bent upon itself within the body portion to the rigid upstandin members ending below the outer ends of t e jaws 5 and below the entrance portion of the slot formed between their opposingifaces so that there are soft portions at the free ends of the jaws, and another ri 'd body triangular in I shape'located within t e mass of rubber forming one of the jaws between its en aging face and the upstanding rigid mem r therein and free of such rigid member.

Signed at Rahway, New Jersey, this 8th day of March, 1932. WALTER C. JACKSON. 

